It Takes Courage
by Lesprit-de-escalier
Summary: Just one look at a magazine cover can spark endless curiosities.
1. Prologue

"…"

Gou Matsuoka, soon-to-be second year at Iwatobi High School, was currently the manager of the rippling muscled swim team.

"…I swear, these boys can't seem to keep anything clean…."

She was also currently keeping stock of the equipment room and cleaning it at the same time.

"How hard is it to keep the paddle boards in one place? Sheesh."

Gou picked up a few of the paddle boards that were meant for normal session swim class off the floor, wondering why they were moved around in the first place.

"It's not like _they_ need to use them, so why are they all over the place when classes aren't even in session?"

She started to file the boards back in their place along the top shelf of the cubby holes, where the boys usually store their backpacks and shoes and whatever else they brought to practice, when she caught a glimpse of a colorful, shining surface.

_What is… this…_

She picked up the glossy magazine and brought it into the sunlight leaking through the open door to the room to get a better look.

On the cover, was what she was very sure to be one of her school's teachers, Miho Amakata, scantily clad in a white bikini.

"This is… is this Ama-chan?"

Gou could feel her face turning a light hue of pink staring at her teacher, or, more like her co-manager more suitably.

A blond-haired boy burst through the door, "Gou-chaaaaan! Ready to go yet?!"

Startled, Gou spun around while hiding the magazine behind her back. "N-no! I mean, yes! I'll be there. And call me Kou!" Her heart was still pounding from the initial shock of apparently being 'caught' doing something she feels like she shouldn't be.

A tall, blue haired boy in red framed glasses appeared behind the shorter monkey boy, "What are you doing there exactly?"

Gou's face grew to a deeper pink, "N-nothing! I'm just cleaning. I'll be there, okay? Just give me a few more minutes…"

A suspicious look formed on Rei's face, but he decides that he shouldn't pry. "Alright, we'll be waiting, Kou."

"Don't be too late! We're going out for sushi tonight, courtesy of Rei-chan!" Nagisa chirped.

"Nobody said that!" The taller boy retorted, as they both left the equipment/storage room.

Gou let out a small sigh of relief and uncovered the magazine from behind her back. Not knowing exactly what to do with it, she quickly stuffed the magazine in her bag. She looked left and right, acting as if someone was watching her commit a heinous crime, and exited the room, fumbling around with the keys before managing to successfully lock the door behind her. She followed the two boys, still thinking about that magazine cover.

At that moment, Gou realized that perhaps she wasn't _only_ attracted to the male physique.


	2. Chapter 1 - Has Something Changed?

The birds chirping, cars honking their horns in an attempt to somehow get traffic to move faster, and bustling students all around, some looking anxious to start the second half of their new high school lives, and others rejoice at the chance to be with all their friends for another term at Iwatobi High School.

Gou Matsuoka, still a soon-to-be second year, strode past the traffic, and made her way confidently to the school grounds. This term, would be another successful term of being the manager of the full-of-character swim team.

Gou hummed to herself as she thought about this past summer, and how extensive the practices were, even if we were still on summer break. She also thought about how, even with her own obligations to take care of over the course of the break, their swim team adviser, Miho Amakata, had made plenty of time to be with the team through many of their practices.

Gou slowed her stride to a measly walk, soon stopping all together. She had ended up right in front of the entrance to the school, students making their way past her, eager to get the new term started.

_Ama-chan…_

Gou found herself thinking back to the time near the start of summer break when she found that magazine with their teacher on it.

_After she went out for a meal with the team, Gou had gone home to fully analyze the situation. 'Surely this must be some sort of prank, right? There's no way that Ama-chan would ever be…that sort of model. I mean, she's so sweet and modest, a little bit clumsy and makes really strange references, so surely she couldn't really…'_

_Over and over, Gou tried to reason with herself that this woman, stunningly gorgeous as she and both the 'real' Ama-chan may be, were definitely two different people._

_She decided to take matters into her own hands and ask the only person she thought would know about these things in full: Goro-sensei. Later that evening, she'd gone out to hopefully find the man at his usual station at the ISCR, but instead had run into him on the street._

"_Haaah? I-I mean. I don't know if I can say anything, it might be a little dangerous for my health…" the blond man chuckled nervously, making sure nobody was watching their conversation._

"_Sensei! This is really a very important question that I need answered immediately," the redhead insisted._

"_Why do you need it answered so badly? All I can really tell you is to look at the cover, and there is no one else it could be. Th-that's all I can say, though. Figure out the rest yourself, Gou-chan!" Goro quickly apologized and sped off to make his last delivery for the night._

"_Tch." Gou clicked her teeth in frustration. "I can't believe this. All he needed to do was to tell me whether or not Ama-chan used to be an attractive swimsuit model! Rrrgh!" the redhead stomped off home, a little bit angry with the lack of results._

"_I'm home…." Gou groaned as she slipped off her shoes and made her way to her room. _

_She plopped down on her bed, rolled over and retrieved the magazine under the pillow to look at it some more. Each time she did look at it, her cheeks would flush a light pink, and after a certain amount of time, she pushed it back underneath her pillow and pulled her blanket over her head in a quick fashion. For what seemed like several minutes of lying still in the silence of her room, suddenly, it hit her._

"_That's right! What am I even doing? I have the internet." Gou sat up immediately and snatched the magazine out from beneath the pillow. _

_Flipping open her laptop and waiting for the screen to brighten to the desktop, Gou swiftly opened up the browser and typed into the search engine the name of the magazine, the month and year of the magazine's publication, and added the word "model" at the end for extra assurance._

"_No way. It.. it's really her." Gou's mouth practically dropped open when she saw the seemingly endless amount of photographs from different issues, with different swimsuits, and definitely different poses, along with articles about one "Marin" and her career as a successful swimsuit model._

_Out of curiosity, Gou clicked on one of the websites to browse the content, and she found a plethora of past issues that show Ama-chan on the cover of almost each one of them, sporting very flattering swimwear. There was also a section of comments under each issue, the thread revealing nothing but comments on her body, her smile, her eyes… everything that, Gou could agree with as being drop-dead gorgeous, was addressed in these comments, among other things. While reading the conversations about how these anonymous users want to take her out, spoil her, even marry her, Gou couldn't help but feel a little annoyed._

_Still baffled, she closed the browser and trudged back to her bed. She decided that she would keep this magazine underneath her pillow, instead of throwing it away._

Gou sighed in exasperation at the events that ensued that day. She was thoroughly surprised, not at the fact that Ama-chan clearly had the potential, but the fact that she was even a model to begin with. She seemed so very serene and soft-spoken, most of the time. But it was not necessarily a bad thing. She thought that it was charming, knowing that there was another side to her teacher, even if she'd never even told the team about it. She'd never even told Gou about it…

The last thought to run through Gou's mind stung a little bit. Hadn't they been close? All this time, and Ama-chan couldn't share with her a simple thing like this? But she wasn't going to push it if Ama-chan didn't want to talk about it. She'd restrained herself all summer from asking her about it, and she won't let that determination go to waste. However, this would be the first time that Gou would see Ama-chan at a place other than poolside, and somehow she couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Gou strengthened her resolve and marched right into the main building.

Not only a few moments later, and Gou was turning the corner to the corridor with her classroom, when she bumped into someone, a petite woman, carrying a large stack of what looked like important documents for the new term; the stack which was now flying through the air and fluttering to the ground.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry! Let me help you pick th—" Gou looked up at the woman, whose face was coincidentally in close proximity, "Ama-chan! H-hello! I mean, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, and I—" Miho pressed a soft finger to Gou's lips.

"Kou-chan, don't worry about it so much. Let's just get these papers cleaned up so you're not late to class. As Jane Austen would say, 'What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul!'" Miho recited enthusiastically.

Gou smirked at the woman's quirky nature, knowing that somehow that quote just wasn't exactly right. Though, in that moment, Gou felt her heart flutter just a tad bit. Not too long ago, Miho stopped addressing Gou as 'Matsuoka-san' and has instead started to call her 'Kou' because of her insistence on everyone else. She thought it was sweet that she complied with her wishes, even if she'd never once even asked Ama-chan to call her that.

"Whatever you say, Ama-chan." Gou had also dropped the sensei portion of the endearing nickname, thinking that it was appropriate for how much time they spent together under the shade, watching the boys practice, talking amongst themselves about topics no normal student and teacher would ever have the chance to discuss.

She was collecting the fallen documents at a casual speed, instead shifting her gaze to Miho's delicate figure. Watching her pick up papers off the floor may sound like an uneventful situation, but with the morning light shining through the window, and her light brown locks falling gracefully over one ear, and with her trying to tuck it back behind the ear again, it was a sight to behold. Her soft eyes meticulously scanned the floor for stray papers, her never-waning smile giving attention to passing students who would greet her as they jogged to class, her collarbone showing just a little bit above the patterned white blouse under a neutral yellow cardigan. At times, she also wore a small necklace, which she was wearing today, perhaps to celebrate the start of the new term.

Gou had been lost in thought when Ama-chan stood up and extended her hand to Gou.

"What's wrong? Did you need help getting up? I hope I didn't hurt you when we collided, Kou-chan," a tinge of worry lined Miho's question.

"O-oh, no no I'm fine! Don't worry about me, he he, just a little sleepy still. Start of the new term, and all." Gou took hold of Miho's hand, feeling the warmth of the woman's intention. Gou hadn't let go for a few seconds before looking down at their hands and back up at Miho's smiling face; she pulled her hand back with a quickness.

"I, um, I'm going to go to class. See you later, Ama-chan!" Gou turned heel and walking quickly in the other direction.

"Kou-chan, your class is down this way!"

Gou stopped dead in her tracks, did a sort-of about face, and walked quickly in the direction she had originally been going. Along the way, she caught one last glimpse of Miho's face, before focusing on getting to her classroom.

Miho chuckled to herself, "Kou-chan is especially amusing this morning. I wonder if something's changed?"

Not paying much more mind to the thought, the young teacher headed towards the stairs and made her way to her own classroom.

* * *

**Hello all! I've decided to try and write something aside from my usual smutty one-shots.**

**So, while this story is rated M, right now, it's going to be rather slow. I want these two to have an actual blossoming relationship.**

**Forgive me if there are naming discrepancies between the characters, I haven't seen season 1 in many months, (hence my impromptu explanations about the name changes initiated between Gou and Ama).**

**I hope you enjoy the ride, let's hope it's a good one.**


	3. Chapter 2 - An Ironic Start

Miho bounced into the classroom, feeling a little more cheerful than usual. She greeted the students with a loud, yet, soft, "good morning!" in which she received mixed replies of enthusiasm and grogginess. She smiled nonetheless. Really, this woman seemed to never stop smiling.

"I hope everyone had a lovely summer break, filled with wonder and youthful gallivanting!"

She earned a couple of questioning stares at that last comment.

Miho scanned the room and immediately caught sight of her two boys, Haruka and Makoto. She waved gently at them, apparently not minding the "extra" attention she was giving to them in front of the class. Makoto grinned sheepishly as he waved back, trying to avoid the annoyed stares from a myriad of jealous students, and Haruka being Haruka, turned to face the window.

Since it was the very first class of the day, not to mention only homeroom, Miho thought she'd spare any lectures and announcement she may or may not have been required to give for the new term, and allowed the students to take turns describing to the class what they did over the break. Truthfully, Miho wasn't quite ready to shift gears into school mode just yet, and especially not after encountering a spry little redhead just minutes before.

The young teacher wore her usual interested grin, and only slightly… probably… pretending to listen to the stories of family trips, work, beach getaways, and so on.

_What exactly had I done over summer break? I've spent a disproportionate amount of time with the swim club, which isn't really a bad thing…_

She thought back to that particular day.

"_Haruka-senpai! Keep your legs closer together! And… Nagisa-kun, drop that melon bread immediately!" _

_Gou definitely had her hands full keeping up with the boys that day._

_She let out an exaggerated sigh as she plopped down next to Miho in the shade, fanning herself with her clipboard._

"_Working extra hard, I see?" Miho chirped._

_Gou shot her a 'slightly annoyed at the heat as well as the team's growth' glance, "If these boys can't work harder, I have to do it for them. Honestly, you'd think they'd be able to memorize each of the training regimens I prepared specifically for them! Each regimen designed to bring out the best in those muscles of theirs…" Gou started to once again prepare to discuss her favorite topic, muscles, at length with the woman; however, a thought had struck her._

_She looked up to the sky for a moment, and then asked the teacher, "Ama-chan, don't you have anything better to do than sit here with me in the heat?"_

_Gou caught how offensively that question could be perceived and chose to fix her wording, "I-I mean, I'm not saying you don't have anything to do, I just thought that you being, um, you, maybe have important plans that don't really involve hanging around with… high school students… ehehe…" With each passing word, Gou slowly hid her face behind the clipboard in embarrassment._

_A chuckle emitted from the brunette, as she reached into her bag and pulled out a can of juice. She touched the ice cold beverage to Gou's cheek, earning a cute yelp._

"_Wh-what…" She saw the can, looked back at Miho, and took the can with a quiet, "thank you."_

"_Kou-chan, these meetings are my important plans. If you're supporting them," she shifted her gaze to the four boys surrounding the pool, splashing each other and generally messing around, "then someone has to be here to support you, right?" The brunette teacher brought her gaze back to Gou, meeting the girl's crimson eyes with her own chestnut ones._

_Gou looked away, but you could see the redness enveloping her ears._

_Miho uncharacteristically placed her hand on Gou's, not really meaning anything by it, simply a gesture to show the girl that she would be there for her. For the boys, of course, but just because she is the swim team's advisor, doesn't mean she cares about Gou any less._

_Gou's hand twitched at the unexpected contact, and she turned to face the woman. "A-Ama-chan?"_

"_Just keep doing what you're doing, okay? As they have once said, 'strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value!'" Miho exclaimed astutely, straightening her back to emphasize the importance of the "quote."_

_Gou let out a short laugh, "Who exactly said that?"_

"_Oh. Well, you know. 'They!' 'They' said that."_

"_Oh really?"_

"_Yes, really, I'm definitely sure 'They' said that."_

_No hands were removed from their place even after the conversation had ended._

* * *

Luckily, Miho had ended her daydream flashback before the last student finished her story about how her family dragged her along to a cross-country trip through Europe.

The brunette teacher clapped her hands together, "Those were all splendid stories, everyone! Now I know that this term may not be as exciting as how you've spent your break, but let's all work together to make it the best it can be. I'd also like to say, as you well know, any of you are free to talk to me about anything troubling you, okay?"

Plenty of students turned to each other and whispered things like, "Isn't Ama-chan-sensei the best?" and "She's so cool and cute, I wish she were a student here so I could date her." These comments were definitely not limited to the males of the class, either.

After Miho finished closing off the class, there were only a few minutes left of homeroom, and so she decided to let the students talk amongst themselves until they were dismissed.

All seemed well, until the Vice-principal called Miho into his office over the intercom.

A hushed silence spread over the room, as dear Ama-chan-sensei has never visibly been called into an office before, especially after such a stern sounding announcement for her.

Miho found it quite strange too. What could she possibly have done?

"Class, once the bell rings, you are free to leave. I'm very sorry, but I have to see what this is all about, okay?"

"Okaaaay," chimed the class. Haruka and Makoto looked at each other, with the same confused face plastered on as the one Miho was wearing as she walked down the hallway.

Several moments later, she arrived at the VP's office, and knocked twice.

"Come in," she was met with a voice from the other side of the door. She opened the door rather cautiously, still not knowing what exactly he needed her for.

"Good morning, Amakata-sensei." A calm, collected voice came from a man wearing black frames, a blue button up and a lighter blue tie.

"Good morning to you too, sir. To what may I owe the call? I can't imagine that I've done anything too radical yet, the new term has just started." Miho was joking around, of course, hoping to lighten up the mood.

"Well, Amakata-sensei, it's nothing in particular that you've done…wrong. And technically speaking, I've considered calling you into my office before, but I didn't think it was such a big deal, seeing as how you are considered, amongst the students as well as the staff, someone that can be counted on when something is on their mind."

Miho wasn't really sure where this was going. Yes, she'd offer counseling to students as well as staff on occasion, but that's because she liked to give advice, as best she could anyway. It's true that many, many female students especially come to her with love troubles and the like. There had been, in fact, a time when a student was having trouble with love because the recipient of her love was a teacher at the school. Only a few weeks later did she actually find out that _she_ was the teacher.

"…Go on, please, sir."

The VP cleared his throat. "I'm not saying, what you do is wrong in any way. Really, it's a great service. However, there are unforeseen implications that come along with the way you get close to the students. I'm not around all too much, but I do hear rumors, Sensei, and I think that while it is wise not to make decisions based on such rumors, you should do your part to disperse them as well."

Miho almost couldn't believe her ears. Out of all the things for her to be reprimanded of, it's her counseling, which so many people enjoy.

"What are you saying exactly, sir? That I should stop my counseling altogether? I should let the students know that because their young hearts get the better of them sometimes that I am no longer available to talk with?" Miho was getting upset. Rather, she was getting angry.

"If you want to put it that way, then yes that's exactly what I want you to do."

"With all due respect, sir, but I don't believe that this is something I can do. What if I refuse to quit my counseling? Which isn't even technically counseling, I'm simply talking with the students, a right that they are all entitled to have, as I am a teacher here at Iwatobi." Miho took a few steps towards the seated man, earnest in her beliefs.

"With all due respect, Amakata-sensei, or should I call you 'Ama-chan-sensei' as well?" Miho furrowed her brow at this, "I don't believe that students should gossip about how attractive you may be, or how they wished you would pay more attention to them alone, and all the same. It is extremely inappropriate, and although nothing has happened _yet_, I _will_ take action if this continues."

Miho was completely taken aback. Not only had the Vice-principal basically told her that she needed to quit being friendly with the students, but he had also indirectly told her that he believed that she would actually initiate, or even accept an inappropriate relationship with a student.

"…Thank you very much, sir. I'll be going back to my classroom now, if you don't mind."

"You certainly will be."

The brunette firmly opened and closed the door to the office housing the man that she had come to despise, almost. She understood his concerns, but to so blatantly put her on the spot like that, it was incredible, she didn't even know how to feel. Except, she did know how to feel, and she was fuming. Miho had never been so angry with anyone at the school before, never before, not until now.

Not only had she been embarrassed by the apparent rumors she'd now just heard of, she was also on the verge of tears. She loved her students. She loved giving them advice, listening to their problems; she just loved being a friend, a part of the staff that they could turn to anytime, even when no one else would give them the time of day.

The young teacher walked dejectedly out to the courtyard, and sat down on a planter. She knew she needed to get back to class, but she was feeling so overwhelmed, all she would do if she showed up now was worry the students, and she'd never want that.

"I can't believe this is happening..." Miho spoke quietly into her cardigan sleeves which were busy trying to dry up stray tears.

It was at that moment, when a familiar redheaded girl jogged out into the courtyard, seemingly headed back home for something.

"Darn it, I can't believe I forgot the extended practice routine copies! I didn't have any time to memorize them, so I have to go back and- whoa, wh-" Gou slowed to a halt after catching a glimpse of Miho, looking extremely upset. She walked over to the woman and called out, "Ama-chan?"

Miho jumped, not expecting anybody to be outside at this time, "K-Kou-chan, what are you doing? You should be in class, young lady." She tried to feign playful authority, genuinely wondering where she was going, but the leftover redness of her eyes gave her away.

"Ama-chan, what's wrong? Are you hurt? Are you okay?" The questions started to pour out of Gou, as she sat down next to Miho. "Who did this? Did someone say something awful to you?"

"Kou-chan, slow down. I'm fine. Probably. As you heard, I was called into the Vice-principal's office earlier."

"Uh huh…" Gou proceeded to listen intently.

Miho looked at the girl's concerned face, and couldn't help but feel her heart flutter. She was so genuinely worried, it was hopelessly adorable. She smiled before continuing.

"He basically told me, that I couldn't talk with you students the way I used to. That I should stop counseling and giving advice. That he was catching wind of certain… rumors and gossip." Miho answered, with no sign of her usual cheer anywhere in her voice.

This tidbit of information set Gou off. "What?! Rumors?! That's insane, he can't do that. You're just talking with us, you're not doing anything wrong! In fact, you're probably the only teacher doing anything right! Did you tell him no?"

"I can't, Kou-chan, he can potentially get me fired. That's the last thing I want, to be away from you all."

Gou felt a strong pang in her heart at this line. She acted without thinking and pulled Miho into a tight hug.

"K-Kou!" The spontaneous act caused Miho to drop the honorific in the girl's name.

"He can't do this to you. I mean, he can I suppose, but, Ama-chan, remember that I won't let anyone stop me from talking to you like this. On a personal level. He can't take that relationship away from us."

Hearing Gou talk this way, Miho could see why the VP wanted to restrict her 'friendliness.' The words 'relationship' and 'personal,' however they may actually mean to the person in question, does not bode well when you are considering a teacher and a student.

"I don't know about anyone else you give advice to, and I may be acting really selfish when I say this to you, but…" Gou sighed, "I… I, um. I'll be here for you, through this thing. This problem with the VP. You can talk to me. He can't stop you from advising the swim club, right? We can talk there, all you want. I don't think I could make it through a week without you talking with me like you normally do!"

It took a while, but Miho reluctantly returned the hug. She had never heard anyone speak to her with such unrestrained passion before. This girl seriously wanted to make sure their, er, relationship, had stayed the same. Whatever relationship that may be.

Miho let herself sink into Gou's embrace for just a bit more. She wasn't quite sure yet, but she felt that something had clicked within her. She should have been worried about the VP seeing her and Gou in such a circumstance. But something much more pure and exciting had overturned that immediate fear.

Gou, realizing just how long this embrace was, let go of Miho quickly and stood up, face as red as the color of her hair.

"Sorry, I didn't realize… I have to get something at home really quick, okay? I got permission from the nurse, so you don't have to worry! See you later, Ama-chan."

Gou walked backward for a few steps, lingering on the sight of her dear friend, hoping that she was able to help relieve some of her worry. She turned and broke into a jog, both hurrying home to grab the copies of the practice schedule, and to hide her face, which would not cease to blush.

Miho sent her off with a "be careful!" before turning her gaze to the sky.

She smiled inwardly. "Oh, my. I suppose I _will_ actually have to restrict my conversations with that girl to the poolside from now on."

Laying a hand over her heart, which sped up in rate sometime during the exchange, she laughed loudly. Pure, unabashed laughter poured out of her, thinking about how ironic things might turn out to be.

* * *

**...**

**Oh my god you guys.**

**I am so sorry. Somehow this took a month to update. But, it's here now! Yay.**

**A lot of thinking, and self-reflection these past two chapters, but that's the only way I could have set it up. Expect a lot more dialogue/action (whatever that is) to come.**

**Also this ended up being a lot longer than I thought I'd make it.**

**But that's that. Waits shouldn't be this long in between chapters anymore. I'm taking a writing class at school ( :/ ) and so I'll probably be hit with inspiration more often.**

**Til next time!**

**P.S. do nurses give permission for you to leave school? I don't know, but this one will. Also I don't actually remember if Iwatobi's VP was ever shown, or. If he is a she, or whatever. Just go with it.**


	4. Chapter 3 - Strawberry Banana Sunday

If one could peer into the Matsuoka household tonight, a brisk Saturday evening, one would find a Matsuoka girl slumped on her desk with her arms over her head.

"Huuuuugghhhhh," she groaned into the wood. She thought back on the events of this past Monday, juggling her feelings around in her head.

"Why am I still thinking about that time after schoooool? Why does it make my heart beat fast whenever I think about hugging herrrrr…" Gou agonized.

She managed to pull herself up from her desk and plop down onto her bed, where she could mull over her confused feelings in slightly more comfort. Gou rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. "I still have to make the team's lunch for Monday, but I don't have any ingredients from the last time I made them. I should probably go shopping tomorrow."

Gou had a thought. What if she had invited Ama-chan to go shopping with her? Maybe that would cheer her up after the disheartening news she received from the VP.

_'Stupid VP. He can't tell her what to do. I mean, he can, technically, but that doesn't mean what he said was right.'_

She picked up her cellphone and opened it to reveal a bright screen. A warm blush was enveloping her face when she thought about texting Ama-chan. She shut the phone and slid it to her pillow, covering her face with a dirty shirt she had lying on the bed.

"Yeah, I can't do this."

She peeked over at the phone from behind the shirt, feeling a little silly. She eventually groaned and reached over the retrieve the phone.

"….. Here goes nothing, I guess."

She opened the device up to the new message screen, and started typing, albeit nervously, and a little awkwardly.

_Heeeey, Ama-chan!_

"…Oh god no." Gou deleted the message quickly, retyping her greeting.

_Hi there Ama-chan! I was just wondering, if you weren't doing anything tomorrow, maybe we could go shopping together for ingredients for the team's lunch. I thought they could really use more protein in their diet, and I don't have anything I could use to make anything really healthy, so, yeah.. You don't have to! I just thought, since it's probably a really nice day, it wouldn't be too bad to finally hang out together. He he. _

After rereading the text over and over again, Gou finally decided that it wasn't going to get much better than that, and she pressed send with a heavy sigh.

"I really hope she doesn't think I'm too weird for suggesting this."

After what seemed like an eternity, a light buzzing filled the silenced room. Gou rolled over and snatched up that phone so fast, you'd think she'd have broken it upon impact. Her fast little fingers flipped open the device and navigated to the new message, her eyes starting to scan the screen rapidly:

_Good evening, Kou-chan! I'd love to go on a date with you!_

"D-date?!"

_Just kidding. But I certainly wouldn't mind accompanying you. I'll buy you lunch, as well. How does 10 sound? I don't mind driving either, so please don't worry about transportation._

Gou's heart was pounding away just as quickly as she could conjure up a reply.

_Ahaha, yes that sounds perfect. You really don't have to buy me lunch though, let me pay for myself! I'll be waiting outside at 10, then. See you tomorrow, Ama-chan!_

She pressed send, and 'twas not even a minute later that she received another wondrous text.

_Kou-chan, there is a saying. It goes, "be gracious of friendly offers, as there are times you will have to offer yourself."_

_See you tomorrow. (heart)  
_

My oh my, how effective emoticons can be. One little heart can send a girl's mind spiraling, even after reading the admittedly suggestive quote that apparently exists.

Gou set her phone down gently, in an attempt to fool some apparatus of romance that may have descended to watch her, that she was perfectly calm.

This ploy failed immediately when she resolved to roll around her bed, hide her face and let out girlish whimpers.

* * *

A few miles away, a rather giddy Miho sat with her knees up to her chest at her dining table, taking a quick break from grading to reply to our little Gou.

"Maybe the heart was a bit much?" She pondered, taking a sip of her coffee.

She let the thought go in a blissful sigh, and resumed her work.

* * *

Ah, yes, Sunday morning. Birds were chirping, children outside playing, all seemed well, and all seemed relaxing. Even at the Matsuoka household, everything seemed to be going swimmingly.

The time was 9:40, and Gou was finishing up getting ready for her outing today. She chose blue jean shorts, a beige camisole covered by an almost-sheer light green cardigan with rolled up sleeves, matching light green sneakers and a light brown leather wristwatch to top it all off.

She twirled in front of her body mirror, "I…guess this isn't too over the top for shopping."

She was aiming for a casual look, that said 'Oh it's just shopping with a friend, nothing peculiar about it,' and yet she didn't want to just throw on a t-shirt and shorts and call it a day. She wanted to look cute. Charming, even. She wasn't positive that it was entirely for herself, either. She had quietly accepted the fact that she was dressing with Miho in mind.

'_I have a little time before Ama-chan gets here, I'm just gonna go ahead and grab a quick breakfast.'_

She headed downstairs to the kitchen and propped open the fridge, trying to decide what would be a good idea for a quick fix.

Outside, gentle footsteps were making their way to the Matsuoka's front door. Miho had come early for Gou, wanting to catch her by surprise.

"I don't want to tell her that I was too excited to take her out, though." The brunette raised her finger to the doorbell.

Inside, a troubled high schooler couldn't decide between eggs or toast. Her hard decision-making was luckily interrupted by the doorbell..

"…who could that be?"

A soft, "coming!" could be heard from the hallway. She strode over to the door and cracked it open slightly, at first, but upon laying her eyes on her visitor, she swung it open with a full, flustered force.

"A-Ama-chan! You're um, a little early!" Gou stuttered.

"It's not polite to have a lady come out to your car, so I came to get you at the door. I am sorry for being a tad early, though. I can wait out here for you if you'd like." Miho looked as if she was beaming. She seems to be proud of her chivalrous action.

Gou took a little step back. '_This woman never quits smiling, does she?_' She thought to herself. It wasn't really a bad thing, though.

"Oh no no! Please come in. Just let me get my bag from upstairs and we can go."

Miho made her way into the girl's home, and Gou hurried upstairs. Miho took this opportunity to look around from the entrance area, not wanting to seem like she's snooping.

"Is anyone home right now, Kou-chan?" Miho asked as Gou came down the steps.

"No, my parents usually go out on Sunday's on their own. It's their date day, and they like to end it by having dinner, so they don't come back until late at night," Gou replied as she checked the contents of her bag.

"I see." For some devilishly sinful reason, Miho believed that heart flutter felt like, this information made her oh so slightly nervous.

Gou double checked if she happened to leave anything behind as she put her shoes on. She looked up at the older woman and grinned. "Ready to go?"

Miho nodded in reply, and followed the excited red head out the door.

The two traveled to a shopping plaza a good distance away from home, making use of the nice day, and Miho's car. The plaza had every store under the sun; the higher layers made up of retail and specialty stores, while the ground floor was home to a supermarket, and an especially wide variety of restaurants, cafés and fast food joints. In the center, there was an impressive fountain, and right next to it, a friendly looking crêpe stand. Being a Sunday, it was already bustling with shoppers, eaters and couples on dates. The place had a rather relaxed ambience.

Next to the plaza was a public park, which was home to a convenient parking lot. How nice.

"I've never been to this part of town before, it's really pretty! I didn't even realize there was such a shopping center so close to us," Gou commented, taking in the sights and sounds.

"I think it's only close if you drive, but I know what you mean. It's… surprisingly breathtaking, being what it is," Miho remarked.

Upon entering the market, their senses were bombarded with bright lights, lovely smells, and two energetic greeters at the door almost yelling, "welcome!" at the two of them, startling them a little.

Miho picked up a basket from the side of the store. "So what did you plan on making for them?" She asked Gou.

Gou pressed a finger to her forehead, "I wanted to make them something simple, yet relatively healthy, and still balanced. Maybe sandwiches? Chicken salad sandwiches with lots of celery. The bread would probably have to be gluten free, but I'd still like to make it tasty for them."

Miho admired Gou for having such consideration for the boys. She noted how she was always thinking of ways she could help improve the team. Hardly ever was there a time Miho could recall that Gou said something about her own concerns, that didn't involve muscles in some fashion. She closed her eyes and walked toward the cooled lockers that stored various meats, gently taking Gou's hand in the process.

Catching Gou by surprise, she ended up getting dragged along a little bit, "U-um…"

"We'll decide the ingredients as we explore the store, okay?" Miho reassured her.

Gou swallowed, her face tinged an innocent pink. "Alright, then."

The pair spent quite a while meandering around the store, picking up stray ingredients here or there, but they somehow managed to get everything they needed in the end. Gou decided on chicken salad made from scratch, from organic chicken breast and a low fat mayonnaise. She planned on adding lemon juice, mustard and salt for a little taste. The bread she decided on was an artisanal bread, and she also picked up fresh tomatoes and lettuce.

"This is gonna be delicious, you just watch, Ama-chan!" Gou was beaming. She was so proud of her successful shopping trip.

'_She is so adorable. I think, against all of my better judgment, it's possible I may fall for her.' _Miho playfully surmised in her head.

Before picking up Gou today, Miho had spent a long while strengthening her resolve. She knew if she came out today, she would have fun. Fun with this girl whom she has spent a great deal of time with, a girl who makes her feel appreciated not only as a teacher, but as a woman; a girl who makes her feel like she wants to be with her more and more. Outside of school, during the night, on the weekends... she wanted to push past that boundary. Miho knew all of this, and she definitely weighed out the consequences of her actions, sure. But there are things that you simply just _do _on a whim. And sometimes the best things in life can come from taking these chances. She decided last night that she would take the blissful, passionate feeling she felt sitting on that planter with Gou, and just run with it.

"I'm looking forward to you letting me have the first taste, Kou-chan," Miho replied, earning an indistinguishable sound from Gou.

On the way to the registers, they happened to walk through a sweet foods aisle. Gou mindlessly let her eyes wander over the colorful packaging, but they had stopped on one particular package. It was a small pink box, with chocolate covered strawberry bits. Gou hadn't had these in a long time, but she remembered they were her favorite.

Miho noticed Gou's side trip and placed herself at her side, leaning down to inspect the same package.

"Even you like sweets sometimes, don't you, Kou-chan?"

Gou turned to say something, but was stopped in her tracks after noticing the distance had immediately disappeared between the two, causing her to stumble back.

"I, um, yeah I used to really like these as a kid. I don't have them anymore though, it never really occurred to me to get them. My brother used to buy them for me all the time when he was still living with us."

Miho smiled. "You don't want to get them?"

"No, it's fine! We've already got the stuff we need for the team's lunch, so we can just get going, ehehe." With that, Gou got in line to pay.

"Hm hm, you shouldn't hold back, Kou-chan. It's not healthy," Miho hummed to herself quietly, following the younger girl into the line.

The rest of the day was filled with exploring the plaza and trying out different food places. For lunch, Miho had taken Gou to a little café where they had a humble meal accompanied by coffee for Miho, and tea for Gou. Gou had found out through conversation that Miho absolutely adores coffee, and could surprisingly go on for several minutes talking about the subtleties in the tastes of different beans. She had also finally gotten the courage to ask Miho about her past career, and was met with a professional answer. Why she decided to change occupations to teaching, however, was met with a shortened one, yet one that did not diminish how important her job is to her. The lunch ended with Miho grabbing the bill and paying for it against Gou's wishes.

After their lunch, Miho took the opportunity to guide Gou to the crêpe stand they saw earlier next to the fountain.

The day was nearing its end, and the two sat side by side on the edge of the fountain, enjoying the cool spray of droplets on their skin. Gou had ordered a strawberry crêpe, and Miho a banana one.

"Is yours good, Kou-chan?" The older woman asked, while taking a small bite out of her own.

"It is! I really like the little bits of strawberry in the middle." Gou took a bite, and had a thought. "Would.. you like to try some?"

An excited Miho replied, "I thought you'd never ask!"

'_I wonder… this could be a good opportunity to test a few things out.' _Miho had suddenly devised a small plan.

Miho leaned over to Gou, sliding locks of hair behind her ear slowly before continuing. Miho purposely tried to accentuate her jaw line, and make herself look inviting. Gou watched the woman take a bite of the pastry, clearly entranced; well, more like watched her lips take possession of some of the sweet wrap. Miho used her tongue to lick some of the stray cream off the side of her mouth, Gou secretly wondering what this part of her tasted like…

'_What am I even thinking of?! I can't believe I'm actually getting.. e-excited, just by watching her take a damn bite of my crêpe. This is so bad_,' Gou's thoughts were running a little rampant.

"Kou-chan, would you like to try some of mine?"

"Oh, yeah sure! Banana, right?"

Gou repeated the action of leaning in to take a bite, but was interrupted by something sweet entering her mouth.

"?!"

Miho had already broken off a piece of her crêpe and popped it into Gou's mouth. Her finger lingered on the redhead's lips for a tad, fueling Gou's embarrassment. Miho brought the finger back to her own mouth to clean up even more stray cream.

"It's good, isn't it?"

Gou stared in awe at the woman. How could she be so smooth? So unbothered by her actions? Gou was having trouble deciding whether or not these interactions were appropriate, to say the least. Not that she minded at all. She thought of the time that Miho was crying on the planter at school, and the reason was because she was warned not to get to comfy with the students. '_Isn't this a little… intimate?_' Gou thought. The last thing she wanted to do was get Miho in trouble, but she was so overcome with happiness at the moment, it was hard to imagine that this behavior was wrong. "Y-yeah, it's.. really good."

"We'll have to try making crêpes ourselves, next time."

The next several minutes were filled with crêpe eating, water splashing, and joyous conversation, and as equally fun was the car ride home.

The pair was spent by the time they arrived at Gou's house. Somehow, it only took a day of shopping and trying out different food stops to wear the both of them out, but it was a satisfied type of worn out.

Miho parked the car outside the front. She was apprehensive, and a little nervous. "Are your parents home yet?" She inquired.

"No, I don't think so. It's still fairly early, I imagine they're having dinner right about now."

Miho's heart skipped a small beat. Somewhere along the lines, she realized that there were two paths she could take. One path, a safe path, could ensure her a long employment time without any upheaval or incident. The second path could lead just about nowhere. A complete dead end. Or, it could end up being a path for the better. A path she felt that could lead to a good place.

_'Nothing ventured, nothing gained.'_

"I'll walk you to your door, then," Miho offered.

Gou looked back at the woman while exiting the car with her groceries, "oh, you don't have to do that!" Truth is, she kind of wanted her to. Which was fine, because Miho had already made her way to Gou's side of the car.

Gou felt her cheeks getting a little red. "Thanks."

It was an awkward walk to the door, which was only about 8 feet away from the car, though the journey felt like an eternity to both of them.

Finally, they've made it to the front door. Gou took her keys out and stuck the house key into the lock. "Thanks for driving today, and helping me shop for food."

Miho chuckled, "No need to thank me, Kou-chan, I was really happy to go out with you."

Upon hearing her choice of words, Gou couldn't stop her poor heart from running a little wild. The next big step was to decide how to say her goodbye. A handshake? Hug? '_…I.. I guess I'll just sort of..'_

Gou set down her bag of groceries and muttered "um, well see you later then" while wrapping her arms around Miho's neck and bringing her into a strange, laughable, but tender hug.

Miho took a few moments before returning the gesture, and before too long she released the younger girl so that she may go inside. However, Gou's hands were resting on Miho's shoulders instead of unlocking the door.

"What's wrong, Kou-chan?"

Without much of a second thought, Gou quickly tiptoed and pressed her lips against Miho's. She kept the position for 3 beautifully long seconds before being overwhelmed with embarrassment.

Gou stood, face as red as a fire truck, with her hands behind her back. It looked as if she was expecting to be reprimanded, or maybe slapped, she wasn't sure which she preferred.

Miho, on the other hand, was stricken with disbelief and excitement, elation and euphoria, any positive emotion under the sun, you could find within her at this very moment. She was so surprised that her hands were still up in the same place she was hugging Gou just a minute ago.

"..Kou-chan, was that—" She started.

"Please, don't say anything, I'm sorry, that was really stupid of me. I don't know what came over me, it was just sort of in the moment and I was, I don't know, I.. You just looked really wonderful and the moonlight sort of did this thing, and I.. I'm sorry," Gou couldn't really stop the slew of words, she was trying to avoid Miho's comment for as long as possible.

"We don't have to talk about that ever again, I just hope you're not mad or any—" Gou's ramblings were interrupted by a delicate finger pressed gently upon her lips.

"You didn't do anything wrong, okay?" Miho leaned in a little closer. "In all honesty, I was about to do the same thing." She delivered to Gou a quick kiss on the cheek before pushing a small package into Gou's hands, and walking off back to her car.

"…I…" Gou reached up to her cheek and placed her hand on it, holding the package in her other hand.

Miho swung around and waved to her, "Goodnight, Kou-chan! I hope you have a lovely night."

Gou snapped out of her trance long enough to respond, "Night! And… call me Gou!"

With that, Gou hurried inside and slammed the door behind her.

Miho stood at the driver's side of her car for a moment, recalling what the girl's loving instructions were.

"I think that means we're getting closer!" Miho giggled, while searching for the keys to her car in her bag. "I might regret not asking her to invite me in… but there's always next time."

She pulled off the curb and enjoyed a relaxing drive home.

* * *

Gou had her back pressed against the front door before sliding down, wearing a big ol' grin. She unwrapped the package she received from Miho, which was just covered in a plastic bag, and found a box of strawberry chocolate candies.

Smiling, she tapped the box of candies to her forehead in thought. _'...so where do we go from here?'_

* * *

**a/n  
**

**.. ff doesn't let you do hearts. even the less than 3 ones.  
**

**i might not be cut out for this 'chaptered story' deal. it's hard. it's awkward. i really want them to have sex already.**


End file.
